Putting Children and Their Families First
Once considered to be the property of their parents, children are now acknowledged to be full human beings in their own right, but beings to whom adults and society in general have special obligations....All children have the right to quality education....Moreover, children have the rights to food, shelter, clothing, health care and emotional well-being as do adults, and these rights we affirm as theirs regardless of actions or inactions of their parents or guardians. In particular, children must be protected from economic, physical and sexual exploitation and abuse.--from Social Principles, ¶ 72, The Book of Discipline
The Problem
Growing up whole and healthy is increasingly difficult for children. They face weakened support systems throughout society, from home to school to church, at the very time they are struggling with unprecedented stresses. They are forced to grow up too quickly, to make significant life choices at a younger and younger age.
Every day in America:
3 children die from child abuse.
15 children die from guns.
27 children--a classroomful--die from poverty.
95 babies die before their first birthday.
564 babies are born to women who had late or no prenatal care
788 babies are born at low birth weight (under 5 pounds, 8 ounces).
1,340 teenagers give birth.
2,217 teenagers drop out of school (each school day).
2,350 children are in adult jails.
2,699 babies are born into poverty.
3,356 babies are born to unmarried women.
8,189 children are reported abused or neglected.
100,000 children are homeless.
135,000 children bring guns to school.
1,200,000 latchkey children come home to a house in which there is a gun.1
The percentage of children in poverty is perhaps the most dependable indicator of childhood well-being. In 1992, one in every five of America's children lived below the poverty line. Very young children, those under age six, are among the very poorest groups in the country, with over a quarter of them living in poverty.2
The share of children living in single-parent families increased from 21% in 1985 to 25% in 1992. The poverty rate for single-parent families is 42%, compared to 8% for two-parent families.3
Public Policy Implications
In light of the critical nature of the problems described above, The United Methodist Church should press for public policies that:
1. Guarantee basic income for all families regardless of structure (some states exclude from welfare programs two-parent families and persons who work yet earn well below the poverty line.)
2. Provide basic support services for families in economic crisis, including food and nutrition programs (such as food stamps; Women, Infants and Children's programs; child care; school food programs; etc.), crisis respite care and home care services.
3. Mandate full and complete access to health and medical care including health maintenance, prenatal and well-baby services, mental health services for all family members, including the highly underserved group of young children and teens.
4. Assure safe and affordable housing for families without regard to number and ages of children.
5. Safeguard protective services for children at risk of abuse.
Too often we engage in public policy debate, make new laws and cut budgets and programs without putting the highest priority on how any change or policy will affect children and their families. We have seen this tendency in a number of federal, state and local legislative battles in recent years.
We Call upon United Methodists to Ask the Following Questions of Any Pending Legislation, Any Budget Cut, Any New Policy:
1. Are children's needs and well-being considered first and foremost in evaluating health and welfare reforms, or any other national, state or local policy?
2. Will this program or policy make fewer children poor and increase the likelihood of children growing up healthy, educated and prepared to work and contribute to the future productivity of the economy?
3. Will this program or policy make families more self-sufficient, enabling parents to work by providing them with jobs and the tools of work (education and training, child care, health care, child support enforcement)?
4. Will this program or policy support families in providing care, nurture, safety and stability to children?
5. Will this program or policy help the many who have little rather than the few who have much?
6. Will this program or policy help families stay together and care for their children?
7. Does this program or policy refrain from punishing children for the actions or inactions of their parents or guardians?
8. Will this program or policy actually save money in the long run, rather than gain a shortsighted savings that leaves the next generation to pay the price?
9. Is this program or policy as fair to children as to adults, and to women as to men?
10. Will this program or policy provide young people with opportunities for a meaningful future?
11. Will this program develop in children a sense of responsibility for themselves and their communities?4
Legislators and other public leaders should be held accountable to citizens and voters for their answers to these questions and for the results of their actions.
Church Program and Policy Implications
Churches must strengthen and expand their ministry and advocacy efforts on behalf of children and their families. A coordinated ministry that serves families with children in the congregation and in the larger community, that joins hands with human service providers and ecumenical colleagues and that addresses the public policy concerns listed above is needed in every church and community.
The church has traditionally emphasized the integrity of the institutions of marriage and family, and the responsibilities of parenthood. While these emphases should be maintained, a wholistic ministry with families must, of necessity, be based on the broadest possible definition of family so that the great variety of structures and configurations will be included. Grandparents often function as parents and many families are headed by single parents or "blended" through divorce and remarriage. Adoption, fostering and extended family structures are among those that need the church's ministry.
Churches need to understand that all the problems described here happen to individuals and families inside the congregation as well as in the wider community. A 1992 survey of active United Methodists across the country concerning women and families in crisis revealed that among the nearly 2,500 respondents:
-One in every 50 had abused illegal drugs; one in every 19 had abused alcohol.
-One in every 23 had experienced a teenage and/or unmarried pregnancy; one in four reported that a family member or close friend had such an experience.
-One in every 14 had an abortion.
-One in every five had experienced divorce; one in eight had been a single parent.
-One in every five had experienced job loss or other financial crisis.
-One in every six had been victims of incest or other sexual abuse when they were children. One in every 15 had been physically abused as children.
-One in every 14 had been battered by a spouse.
-One in every 11 had been raped, most by acquaintances or a spouse.5
In light of these statistics, which initially sound shockingly high but are in fact somewhat lower than national statistics, it is critically important that each congregation deal openly with the needs of its members and its community, and begin developing appropriate ministry responses for children and their families. Support groups, hot lines, shelters, parenting classes, treatment programs, home care services, nutrition and feeding programs and after-school tutoring and mentoring programs are especially needed in many communities, and are programs that churches are often well-suited to sponsor or support.
A network of child-serving institutions and agencies, from community centers to residences for at-risk children and youth, exists across the church. Many are local expressions of national mission, and others are related to annual conferences. These agencies meet critical needs and urgently require the financial, volunteer and prayer support of congregations. Recent cuts in public funding to these programs make support from the church even more critical.
The 21st century is nearly upon us. If the church is to be a faithful advocate for children, protecting and nurturing them into healthy adulthood, increased awareness and vigilance will be required. In preparation for this daunting task, WE CALL UPON THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH TO:
1. Generate a plan in every local church for assessing ministry with children (in the congregation and in the community) and implementing a vision for ministry with children and their families that takes seriously the facts and perspectives presented above. This plan is to be overseen by the official decision-making body of each local church.
2. Celebrate the Children's Sabbath in every local church each October. For information and resources, contact Children's Defense Fund, Children's Sabbath Office, P.O. Box 90500, Washington, DC 20090-0500.
3. Increase awareness of the needs of children and their families by challenging the church's leaders (including bishops, general agency staff, CCOM directors and district superintendents as well as local church clergy and lay leadership) to spend the equivalent of one full day during the 1997-2000 quadrennium as a volunteer at a local outreach ministry that serves children, such as a community center, child care center, tutoring or parenting program, shelter for homeless families, etc.
4. Continue and strengthen a task force formed of persons from general church agencies who work on issues of child and family advocacy in order to coordinate work, implement this resolution, and advocate cooperatively for the needs of children (to be convened annually by the Children's Ministries Office of the General Board of Discipleship).
Endnotes:
1. Children's Defense Fund, The State of America's Children 1995.
2. Annie E. Casey Foundation, Kids Count Data Book 1995.
3. Ibid.
4. Adapted from Children's Defense Fund brochure, "Protecting Children in Shifting Political Winds," 1995, and Children Now's flyer, "Contract with America's Children: Why Children Need Policies for Change," 1995.
5. From 1992 church-wide survey conducted by Office of Ministries with Women and Families, National Division, General Board of Global Ministries. Total sample of 2,310 included: responses from readers of Response magazine and The United Methodist Reporter; a random sampling of local churches supplied by the research department of GCOM; and surveys distributed to all attendees at a number of local units of United Methodist Women and Schools of Christian Mission.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 21347-GM-R135-U
1996 United Methodist General Conference